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1900.] Professor Ten Brook. 155 

7, Columbia 27, Cornell 22, Johns Hopkins 21, Pennsylvania 31, Princetoj; 
S.^Yale 11, Wisconsin 20, Michigan 1. Those Fellowships rank all the Way 
from th^grant of tuition and fees to $800 in value. Both of these obstacles, 
of course, Swing from the same general cause, that is, lack of adequate funds 
with which to^evelop the graduate school. The practical question is one 
of money. 

How strongly 'Fellowships tell on the graduate school/fs well known to 
educators. In 1890 sixsof our competing institutions, Columbia, Pennsylva- 
nia, Cornell, Harvard, Y<u\and Wisconsin, counted/me graduate student in 
seven, Michigan counted one lhslwenty ; in 1897 those institutions counted one 
in four, Michigan one in nineteem 1 

On the broad question involved>\tha> / fs, the financial question, the Ad- 
ministrative Council is not called uponSq offer views or remarks. It does, 
however, beg leave to press upon vour honorable body the earnest, and if pos- 
sible, early, consideration of the<subject of Fellowships. The Council believes 
that, relatively, the University is losing ground^qwing to the lack of these 
familiar inducements jfeo advanced study. Its convifction on this point is so 
strong that it wouj^in its own opinion, be derelict in dufcv if it did not lay the 
subject before you with the note of earnest conviction. TnesCouncil is aware 
that, from time to time, Fellowships have engaged your attention ; but it now 
respectfully raises the question whether the time has not fully cohje to con- 
sider/the whole subject thoroughly, in all its bearings, with a view, if possible, 
of discovering means of early, if only partial, relief. 



PROFESSOR TEN BROOK. 

Professor Ten Brook (of whose death brief mention was made in the 
last number of the Alumnus) was the last surviving member of what may be 
regarded as the original Faculty of the University of Michigan. The valu- 
able service which he rendered to the cause of education and religion makes 
it eminently proper that a somewhat extended notice of his life and services 
should appear in the Michigan Alumnus. 

Andrew Ten Brook was born in Elmira, N. Y., Sept. 21, 1814. As his 
name indicates, he was of Dutch ancestry. He has said that his father contin- 
ued to speak the Dutch language, more or less, during his life. His grand- 
father was reduced from competence to poverty by the depreciation of Con- 
tinental money. The young man's desire for a liberal education enabled him 



156 Professor Ten Brook. [January, 

to surmount the obstacles which poverty placed in his way, so that after six 
years of study, at what was then known as the Hamilton Literary and Theo- 
logical Institution, he graduated from the Collegiate Department in 1839 > an< ^ 
two years after, from the Theological Department. In October following bis 
graduation he was ordained pastor of the First Baptist Church of Detroit. 
He occupied this position three years, during which time he also edited the 
Michigan Christian Herald, the organ of the Baptist denomination in Mich- 
igan. 

In September, 1844, he was appointed to the chair of Moral and Intellec- 
tual Philosophy in the University of Michigan. The other members of the Faculty 
at this time were Professors Houghton, Williams, Whiting and Sager. He 
was at this time just thirty years old, and the first graduating class in the Uni- 
versity came under his instruction. He occupied this chair seven years to the 
satisfaction of the Regents and the students. These years were years of 
struggle, even of conflict, in the history of the University. 

In 1 85 1, he resigned his chair and soon after became the editor of the 
New York Baptist Register, published at Utica, N. Y. In consequence of 
the union of this paper with the New York Recorder, he left this position, and 
in 1846, was appointed U. S. consul at Munich in Bavaria. Here he resided 
with his family till the end of the year 1862, rendering acceptable and import- 
ant service, and at the same time mastering the German language and making 
himself familiar with German literature. 

In 1864 he was made librarian of the University, which position he occu- 
pied till 1877. During his residence in Ann Arbor Professor Ten Brook 
rendered much acceptable service to the various churches as a pulpit supply, 
and several times served the Baptist church as acting pastor for months in 
succession, almost without compensation. Since 1877 he has occupied no 
public position except as a temporary pastor, but has given himself chiefly to 
literary work. He has published an octavo volume entitled State Universities 
and the University of Michigan, which the North American Review pro- 
nounced "a substantial contribution to the history of higher education in 
America." He has translated for a New York publishing house, History of 
the Thirty Years' War, and has written numerous articles on a great variety 
of subjects, for many public journals and newspapers. It is said that he had 
completed, just before his death, the MSS. of a work which has been pro- 
nounced by those who have examined it, one of great value. It is to be hoped 
that his death will not prevent its publication. 

Professor Ten Brook was twice married. Two sons died just before 
reaching mature manhood. His only daughter is the wife of A. E. Mudge, 






lN 



1 




ANDREW TEN BROOK. 

[See Page 155.1 



1900.] Professor Ten Brook. 157 

a successful lawyer living in Brooklyn, N. Y., an alumnus of the University 
of Michigan of 1866. 

Until within a year past, Professor Ten Brook retained, to an unusual 
degree, both his physical and mental vigor; but during the last year of his 
life he suffered from illness and the infirmities of age. He had just com- 
pleted arrangements for making his home at a sanitarium in Detroit, and had 
scarce entered it, when, perhaps in consequence of over-exertion in removing, 
his strength failed and he passed away. 

Professor Ten Brook was a man of wide and varied learning. His 
knowledge, on a great variety of subjects was remarkably accurate. As a 
writer his style was distinguished for clearness, chasteness and simplicity. 
He could not write a slovenly or extravagant or obscure sentence. He was 
eminently fair-minded, — little swayed by prejudice, — just and discreet in his 
judgements of men and things. His convictions on moral and religious and 
political subjects were the result of careful study and independent thinking, 
and were therefore held firmly, but without bigotry or censoriousness towards 
those who differed from him. While thoroughly loyal to the denomination 
to which all his life he belonged, he had the largest charity towards Chris- 
tians of other faiths. In recent years he was much interested in humanitarian 
work; he wis instrumental in the organization of the Humane Society, and 
he did much to promote the spirit of kindness to animals in the children of 
the public schools, being chairman of the educational committee of the Society. 
All who have been on intimate terms with him, have remarked, during his 
last years, a manifest ripening of the Christian graces of patient cheerfulness 
under trial and disappointment, of kindly charity towards others, and of un- 
o t uestioning faith and hope in reference to the future life. 

N. S. Burton. 



155 



Some Editorial Comment 8. 



[January, 



SOME EDITORIAL COMMENTS. 



WithVhe appointment last summer of 
ProfessoX A. S. Whitney to the junior 
chair of pedagogy the University has 
taken a further step in specialization. 
The major p\>rtion of Professor Whit- 
ney's duties consists in the examination 
of high schools to determine their fitness 
for the University's diploma list. This 
work, done formerly by the various pro- 
fessors, has been growing in bulk and 
likewise in the degreevof knowledge re- 
quired for its most successful accom- 
plishment. There has been an increas- 
ing feeling in the University that it 
could be better done by a specialist thati 
by others, and that at the \ame time 
there would be economy is taking the 
burden from the shoulders of melt whose 
own work demanded all the atrnition 
they could give it. The questionNwas 
discussed during the course of last year, 
and the Regents made the appointmer 
in June. 

The root idea was to secure an exam- 
iner for high schools, not to give an ad- 
ditional instructor to the department of 
pedagogy. Professor Whitney's work 
was felt to be allied most closely to the/ 
work of that department, and for thi 
reason his title was fixed as it is. Dur- 
ing the present semester, however/ he 
offers two courses in the department, one 
of two hours and one of one hour. But 
in the second semester his timar will be 
fully occupied in his duties as/examiner. 
Yet even with this work, ip is not in- 
tended that no examining sfaall be done 
by the other professors/as individual 
cases will arise from time to time where 
they can serve to advantage. 

Professor Whitney/brings to the work 
not only a mind, hut a training, which 
fits him for his d/ties. He is a grad- 
uate of the University, has been super- 
intendent of some of the best schools in 
Michigan, ana has supplemented this 
training witty a year's study in Germany. 

In its aims: to bring the University 
into closer touch with the schools of the 
state; to remedy certain weaknesses in 



the operation of the diploma system ; and 
to assist especially the smaller and less 
vigorous schools of the state by helpful 
suggestion, this plan must me/t with the 
approval of educators everywhere. 
* * * / 

The honor of the 'Va/sity football 
"M" has been granted to the thirteen men 
who took part in the final game on 
Thanksgiving day. Considerable ad- 
verse comment has been made by the 
students over the fact that certain men 
who did not take part in this game but 
who were in several of the more impor- 
tant earlier games, are thus denied the 
letter. In defense of the justice of the 
•ward it is pointed out that it was made 
apon the unanimous recommendation of 
a committee of which the captains of the 
three University teams formed the ma- 
jority; it was likewise made with the ap- 
proval/of the coaches and the graduate 
director. The chief lesson to be drawn 
Tom the criticisms upon the awards of 
sVeaters this year and last, is that some 
tern should be settled upon for their 
distribution. The men who wear the "M" 
this y\ar were not chosen by the same 
authorities who selected the wearers last 
year, norVwas the test applied in the 
choice the Same. Whichever way is best, 
this vacillating policy, even though it 
may be vacillation in appearance only, 
is hurtful. If \ test of participation in 
certain games isMo determine the mat- 
ter, these games should be of relatively 
equal importance each year. If on the 
other hand, the men are to be selected by 
some officer or set of qfficers with a cer- 
tain degree of arbitrariness, it should be 
known at the beginningXof the season 
who this officer or these Yfficers are to 
be. When once it is determined by 
whom it is best that the selection should 
be made, there should be no change 
from year to year. A small committee, 
composed of those officers whoSe posi- 
tions and whose ability fit them ror the 
task, with absolute authority to exercise 
its own discretion, appears to the Alum- 




[Burton, N S ] 

Professor Ten Brook. (In The Michigan alumnus. 
Ann Arbor, 1900. 25£ cm . vol. vi, p. 155-157. port.) 




1. Ten Brook, Andrew, 1814-1899. 

Library of Congress 
Copy 2, de- 



5-27467 



tached. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

029 898 389 8 



